Woman Arrested For Stealing Police Car

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A woman has been arrested for stealing a St. Petersburg police cruiser.

A police statement says two officers responded to a domestic call Saturday night and left the keys in the ignition. While the officers were busy handling the call, Vanessa Brooks flagged down another driver, reached inside the car and stole the driver’s cell phone. Brooks then ran toward the police cruiser, got inside and backed up into another marked cruiser before driving away.

The police statement says the officers didn’t notice the car missing until they finished the domestic call. Police units in the area were alerted and minutes later, Tampa Police officers found arrested Brooks in a restaurant’s parking lot.

The 22-year-old faces charges of vehicle burglary, auto theft, and leaving the scene of a crash.